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From: ncmagel@ndsuvax.UUCP (ken magel)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: first language
Message-ID: <405@ndsuvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Aug-87 12:17:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: ndsuvax.405
Posted: Fri Aug 14 12:17:12 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Aug-87 03:57:48 EDT
Organization: North Dakota State University  Fargo, ND
Lines: 13
Keywords: expense availability


     Two factors which are important in the selection of a first programming
language, but which have not been mentioned previously are:
  1.  Availability:  the language should be available on a wide variety of 
microcomputers so that students may use it on their own machines as well as
those available at the school.  This may eliminate very large or memory-
intensive languages such as ADA at least for a while.
  2.  Low cost:  I think students should have access to their own language
environments on microcomputers.  Those environments should cost less tha 
$100 so that an undue burden is not placed upon the students.
     Many languages meet these requirements : Pascal, Modula 2, Prolog ( at
least in the Turbo Prolog mutation), Lisp ( Translisp among others), and 
even Smalltalk ( SMalltalk/V).